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Let's get started! Our tour begins at the Sample Gates, the official campus entrance and one of our most-photographed spots. On one side of the gates, you'll find downtown Bloomington, the quintessential college town. Kirkwood Avenue and 4th Street offer diverse local and ethnic restaurants, unique shops, and an entertainment and arts district—all within walking distance. Walk through the Sample Gates and you'll enter IU's historic Old Crescent.
IU was founded in 1820 and the Old Crescent is part of the original academic campus. It is also home to several IU landmarks and legends. One building that really stands out on campus is the Student Building with its clock tower. You can hear its chimes every hour. Make sure you look up at Maxwell Hall at the top of the Crescent. It's home to some of the best stonework on campus, including the IU gargoyle.
To the right of Maxwell Hall is the Herman B Wells statue. Wells was IU's beloved former president and chancellor. He elevated the university's stature in research and the arts, promoted academic freedom, advocated for preserving green space on campus, and was instrumental in desegregating IU in the 1960's. Students and visitors regularly sit beside Herman B Wells on his bench and touch his hand for luck. Nearby is the Rose Well House. Campus tradition holds that females were not considered true IU students until they were kissed in the Rose Well House at midnight. It's not uncommon to see students lined up there every Valentine's Day.
The Indiana Memorial Union, or IMU, is one of the largest student unions in the world and is home to a variety of dining areas, the official IU bookstore, a movie theatre, bowling alley, billiards room, computer store, IU Outdoor Adventures, and the Biddle Hotel and Conference Center. The union also boasts some of the best study spots on campus, including the fireplace lounge. In the center of the IMU is the Student Activities Tower, home to more than 750 student organizations. Many of these organizations chalk on the sidewalks to advertise events and meetings, so when you come to campus, make sure to look down as you're walking!
Now, we're visiting Dunn Meadow, which is located next to the Indiana Memorial Union. It's a great place to play Frisbee or meet friends and is also known as the place on campus where students go to have their voice heard for rallies, protests, and vigils. Each fall and spring, Dunn Meadow is also the site of events like the Student Activities Fair, concerts, and movies.
The Hutton Honors College is one of the top-ranked honors programs in the U.S. and each year, invites some of IU's most academically talented students to be part of the program. Honors students have the opportunity to take small, challenging courses and participate in a variety of extracurricular and service activities. Students can also work closely with IU's top faculty, live in one of the Hutton Honors residential communities, participate in the Freshman Student Mentoring program, and make incredible connections with guest speakers and alumni.
Greek Life has been a part of IU since 1845 and IU has more than 60 fraternities and sororities. Greek houses are located at the top of Jordan Avenue and on 3rd Street. Community service is a large part of Greek life, and students give more than 30,000 hours of service each year. Overall, about 17 percent of IU students join a fraternity or sorority.
Our next stop, the Collins Living-Learning Center, is one of approximately 25 learning communities on campus. Each learning center offers students the chance to live in an active, engaging community with students who share a common interest. The Collins LLC is a partnership between Residential Programs and Services and the College of Arts and Sciences. Students can take courses developed and taught by Collins residents and be involved in other hall and campus programs.
The Arboretum is a beautiful campus spot designed just for students and was the original home of IU football. The football stadium has since been moved to the north side of campus, but you can still see the original corner posts and ticket gate.
At the top of the Arboretum is 10th Street, the northern border of the academic campus. Along its edge are the Kelley School of Business, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Career Development Center, and the IU Health Center. Today, the Arboretum is an open green space with Wi-Fi access and contains every tree that is indigenous to Indiana.
The Hodge Hall Undergraduate Center is the academic home for Kelley School of Business students. Opened in fall 2014, the building is designed to facilitate conversation and collaboration, both in person and through technology, enabling students to more easily connect with each other as well as with faculty and business leaders from across the state and around the world. Hodge Hall is home to the 3M Sales and Communications Lab; the Dan and Maureen Aron Investment Center, which is a stock trading room with state-of-the-art informational resources; Hall of Honor recognizing alumni and faculty achievements; and the Kelley Outfitters store.
The Herman B Wells Library is one of the busiest places on campus, and it provides a rich and active environment that supports a diverse range of student needs. The West Tower houses the Learning Commons, which is a great place for students to work on class projects in groups or alone. It also has hundreds of computers; group study rooms; presentation practice rooms; large-scale color and 3D printers; and staff who can help with research, technology, and writing assignments. The East Tower is home to millions of books and plenty of quiet study spaces. Food and coffee are all within close proximity in the lobby café and the cafeteria on the ground floor.
Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies
The School of Global and International Studies builds on more than a century of tradition and excellence in global studies on the IU campus. Administered by the College of Arts and Sciences, the school offers degrees and programs across four departments and more than two dozen centers and institutes, truly preparing students to become global leaders. SGIS students also have a new home in the state-of-the-art, environmentally sustainable School of Global and International Studies building, which opened in fall 2015 and is located right in the heart of campus.
Hi I'm Stuart. I'm also an IU student and I'll be your final tour guide. The Arts Plaza is the center of some of Indiana University's greatest cultural resources. Starting on the left is the IU Art Museum, which is free to all students and guests of the university. Next door is the School of Fine Arts, which offers courses in photography, graphic design, and studio art. To the right is the IU Auditorium. For the past 75 years, the Auditorium has hosted entertainers, musicians, and Broadway shows ranging from Chicago to John Stewart to Straight No Chaser.
Attached to the IU Auditorium is the IU Cinema, which was renovated to be a state-of-the-art theater in 2009 and screens more than 150 films every semester. Finally, you can see the Lilly Library, which houses a rare book collection that includes a Gutenberg Bible and IU grad and Batman producer Michael Uslan's comic book collection. In the center of the Arts Plaza is Showalter Fountain, which is a central meeting point for students and a great place to relax between classes.
Woodburn Hall is a typical classroom building and houses the largest lecture hall on campus, which seats 424 students. While IU does have some large lecture halls, nearly 70% of our undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students and more than 90% of classes have fewer than 100 students. In fact, the average class size at IU is 33 students and the student to faculty ratio is 17:1. Large classes that take place in lecture halls like the one in Woodburn will often have much smaller discussion groups once a week.
Beck Chapel is a non-denominational place of worship and houses a Bible, Qur'an, and Torah. It is also a popular place for IU graduates to get married. Many people are surprised to see a cemetery next to Beck Chapel. When the Dunn Family sold the land where Beck Chapel sits today to the university, there were three stipulations: (1) Do not disturb the family cemeteries, (2) For every tree that is cut down to expand the campus, another must be planted in its place, and (3) Do not disturb the family's Sweetheart Tree, which you'll see at our next stop.
Our next stop is the Chemistry Building, which is one of many science facilities on campus. IU is a tier one research institution and students are able to get involved with research as early as the freshman year. The Sweetheart Tree that I mentioned earlier is actually located inside the Chemistry Building. When the building was expanded to make room for new labs, the architects designed the addition so that the Sweetheart Tree now grows in an inside courtyard. On the outside of the building, underneath the windows and etched into the limestone, are the elements of the periodic table. We've even left some space for the findings of future IU scientists!
Memorial Hall is part of a quadrangle of buildings that were originally residence halls. Today, Memorial Hall and the surrounding buildings are home to various academic departments, classrooms, study lounges, and the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. It also happens to be one of the most beautiful and quiet outside study areas on campus.
The Musical Arts Center, or MAC, is one of the grandest performance venues in the U.S. It features acoustical design and technical capabilities that have been compared to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The backstage area occupies more than half of the building and provides state-of-the-art scene and costume shops. The MAC is also home to the Jacobs' School of Music Ballet Department and hosts the school's major ballet, opera, and musical productions. Each year, the Jacobs School holds approximately 1,100 performances, many of which are free for students.
The Neal Marshall Black Culture Center is one of the many culture centers on campus and serves as a bridge connecting Indiana University to Black culture. Each center provides unique opportunities for students to get involved in their own cultures and learn about new ones. Across the street, you can also see the Office of Admissions Building. This is where regular weekday and Saturday campus tours begin and end. Stop by our office if we can help you in any way!
IU has three residential neighborhoods: central, northwest, and southeast. Let's check out Teter Quad, which is in the central neighborhood. Amenities for Teter residents include a game room, music practice room, exercise room, community kitchens, computer lab, an Academic Support Center, a library, and many study areas. There are also a variety of learning communities available that enhance the on-campus living experience. The majority of student rooms are doubles, but singles are also available. Other residence halls offer similar amenities and rooms. Although there are a few exceptions, new freshmen are required to live on campus during their first year at IU Bloomington.
All residential neighborhoods have multiple dining locations that offer a diverse selection of foods and dining styles that include mirco-restaurants, food courts, coffee shops, cafes and convenience stores. We've included a panoramic shot of the Hoosier Café & Store at Wright Quad, which is a favorite because of its variety and central location, and a shot of our newest cafe, The Roast at the Restaurants at Woodland.
The Student Recreational Sports Center, or SRSC, offers students diverse sport, fitness, and wellness opportunities. IU students can use SRSC facilities for free with their ID cards, including the Olympic-sized swimming and diving pool; indoor running track; strength and conditioning areas; and basketball, racquetball, volleyball, and wallyball courts. Group classes are also available, ranging from Zumba to hip-hop aerobics to spinning.
Finally, intramural and club sports are huge at IU, and students can try handball, golf, flag football, kickball, and ultimate Frisbee. IU's most popular intramural sports event is the Little 500 men's and women's bike races. The races are held every April and are the highlights of what has been called "the World's Greatest College Weekend."
Indiana University is part of the Big Ten Conference and offers 24 varsity sports for men and women. Hoosiers have a lot of school spirit, and on game days, the campus is flooded with cream and crimson. Memorial Stadium is home to IU football and seats almost 53,000 Hoosiers. The stadium is nicknamed "The Rock" because it's made of Indiana limestone. We have also included panoramic shots of some additional athletic facilities, including our baseball field, Bart Kaufmann Field, and Andy Mohr Field, the softball field.
Speaking of school spirit, there is nothing that compares to the excitement of watching an Indiana University basketball game in Assembly Hall with over 17,000 screaming fans. When you see the banners on the wall, sing the fight song, and see the team charge out in those candy striped pants, you'll know why this is Indiana.
The DeVault Alumni Center is the headquarters for more than 600,000 living IU alumni and more than 160 alumni chapters around the world. The Center is responsible for Homecoming and Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend. Current students can participate in events through the Student Alumni Association, or SAA, whose goal is to connect current, past, and future IU students through social activities and networking events.
That's the end of our virtual tour—thank you for joining us! We hope you had a great time and understand why we are so proud of IU and so proud to be Hoosiers. If you think IU may be the place for you, schedule a campus visit and come experience Indiana University for yourself. Go Hoosiers!
